Trench Trouble
by GoldFox
Summary: One of Dave's mistakes prompts Balthazar to teach him a new spell. Contains vore.
1. Chapter 1

_An idea that popped up after seeing the film. Enjoy!_

* * *

Dave inhaled deeply as he watched Balthazar warily on the other side of the Merlin Circle. Today, they were practicing more with those plasma bolts and vacuum defense spells. The electric bolts were more difficult to capture in the vacuum. So of course, the sorcerer had stated that it would be EXCELLENT practice for him to learn to catch anything thrown at him. David didn't agree, but heck, who was he to argue with a 1000-plus year old dude?

Balthazar, as calm as always, was waiting, tossing the plasma ball idly from hand to hand. "You ready yet?" he asked casually, the sparks flying off his fingers in an eerie kind of way.

Gulping nervously, Dave recentered himself in the Circle, feeling the warm energy coming up through his feet as he let himself focus. "Y-Yeah…"

"Good." The next thing he knew, the bolt of bright blue-white light was coming right at him. Dave shouted as he fought to 'snag' it in the vacuum in between his hands, like the fire, but it moved so FAST! He only got it halfway inside as it was coming and this resulted in a very confused plasma bolt that decided it was just easier to explode and knock the young apprentice off his feet.

Rolling to his side and coughing, Dave looked up at hearing Balthazar's voice asking lazily, "Are you trying to _clap_ it to death, Dave?"

Scowling, Dave got clumsily to his feet, his toes aching inside of the oddly shaped shoes. He'd have to look into getting a new pair. He brushed himself off, stammering, "No-no! I was just…" He then sighed and stood up, rubbing his sore hand. "I missed it." he said bluntly.

"Yes you did." Balthazar replied in a very patronizing tone. "Very good observation." He came over to the young man and looked at him, hands behind his back as he just seemed to look right THROUGH him. It made Dave uncomfortable and he shuffled around him to get back to the Circle.

This seemed to be the right move as Balthazar nodded and went back to his own opposing Circle. He made another plasma bolt and began to toy with it, saying in a firm, but soft tone, "You're trying too hard to GRAB the bolt physically. Think with your _instincts_ , Dave, not your _eyes_! Your eyes are pitiful. They see nothing in the world of magic. You must trust your instincts and your magic." He then spun the bolt on his fingertip, like a pro basketball player spins the ball.

"How-How-How'd you learn to do that?" Dave asked, unable to hide his jealously. He had never managed that trick even with a beach ball. He felt horribly inadequate and grudgingly impressed.

Ignoring the question, Balthazar then added, "You see, Dave… I KNOW I'm not touching his plasma ball. It is NOT on the tip of my finger spinning like a top. I only SEE that it is." He tossed it into the air, juggling it with careless ease. "Because I know this fact, I know that I cannot grab it like a peach or a light bulb. This is something I have to FEEL. I have to trust my magic to 'hold' the plasma for me, to make it look like I'm doing it."

Dave watched as Balthazar spoke and continued to show off with the ball of light the entire time. "Uh-huh…" He said softly. He then added, "And the point of the light show is…?"

He let out a sudden scream as the bolt suddenly leapt right at him and without even thinking about it, he brought up his hands like he had for the fireball. Unlike the last time, where he had been consciously trying to trap it inside of his vacuum, this time it just seemed to… well… suck itself right into place! The force of the blow made him take a step back, but he panted happily as he held the jittering, buzzing ball in-between his hands. He inhaled deeply and as he tightened and closed the vacuum, the bolt disappeared.

While he stood there panting, Balthazar came over, saying clearly, "To show you that you need to stop jabbering and planning and instead start to act and think like a sorcerer!"

"But I'm not a sorcerer!" Dave protested as a matter of sheer habit.

"No." Balthazar agreed instantly. When Dave looked up at him questioningly, Balthazar then added, "Not yet." He then turned back and returned to his side of the Circle. Dave sighed, feeling bad inside. "But you're well on your way." This made Dave grin slightly before the next plasma bolt hit him right square in the chest, knocking him off balance.

"Oops."

* * *

After a few more tests of Dave learning to catch the bolts, Balthazar decided to go back to learning to cast them again, teaching him how to use the energy of the Circle to form them easily without draining his own magical energy. That one took a lot of work for Dave to even comprehend the concept and even then, he just could not figure out where to drain the magic from; the Circle or himself! He just couldn't feel a difference!

Inhaling deeply and clearing his mind, Dave worked to pull up energy from the Circle, from the ground itself. He blinked as he felt… _something_. Like he had punched a hole with a pin into a water cooler bottle. There WAS plenty of energy to draw from. He worked to suck more and more into his hands and he laughed triumphantly as he felt the hot-cold feeling of the plasma in his hands. "Balthazar!" he said joyfully as the plasma ball grew to the size of a baseball. "Look! Look, I got it!" Dave was feeling ecstatic by this point, glad he had been able to pull off something magical correctly. His happy feeling faded when the saw that the bolt was getting larger, from a baseball into a grapefruit! Feeling more than a little panicked now, Dave whimpered nervously, "Now how do I **_UN_ get** it?!"

"Just throw it, Dave." came the simple and calm reply from Balthazar.

Dave looked over at his Master as the bolt grew to be the girth of a football. " ** _Where?!_** " he asked in a shrill, panicked voice.

"Just anywhere." came the quiet answer as Balthazar went over to the kettle and started to pour some tea for himself. "It will disperse." he added as he stirred in the sugar.

Nodding, Dave turned his body around to face away from Balthazar and with a cry, he flung the large orb away from himself, falling to his knees as it felt like he had just thrown away a chunk of his heart. He felt EXHAUSTED! Looking up, he gasped in horror as he realized that the orb had been flung right at his Master's thick black leather trench coat.

"Oh! Oh my god!" he all but screamed as he ran to try and help the coat, muffling the flames with some old rags. But it was too late. The plasma had been so hot that the trench coat had pretty much simply incinerated upon contact. There was nothing he could do now to fix it. He watched helplessly as it crumpled into a pile of dust, just like in the cartoons.

Dave looked up, panicked, as Balthazar walked over to him, looking distraught. "My coat…"

Shaking, Dave got up, saying, "Oh, Balthazar, I'm SO sorry!"

"You destroyed my coat." Balthazar said quietly, as if he hadn't heard Dave speaking.

While he was pondering the idea of running while the man was in an obvious state of shell-shock [ _or coat-shock?_ ], Dave fumbled to speak as Balthazar knelt besides what was now a smoking heap of ash. He then stuttered out, "You… You said it would… uh… ' _disperse_ '." As he was given a look that spelled trouble, Dave scrambled to his feet and a little away from Balthazar, saying as he jittered, "L-L-Look, I'm sorry!" He then threw out haphazardly, "I'll buy you a new one!"

Balthazar froze and looked up at him. "A new one?"

"Yeah, exactly!" Dave said, jumping at what might turn out to be salvation. "I'll buy you a _NEW_ coat!" he said with a weak smile. He then added quietly, "Granted, maybe not a 350 year old rawhide coat, but…" He shrugged awkwardly and sheepishly. "Well, you know what I mean."

Scooping up the ashes into a bag, Balthazar then muttered, "You can't just BUY me a new coat."

"Well, sure I can!" Dave protested. And since he was in deep enough already, Dave decided to go the whole nine yards and asked, "Where did you get it?" Hopefully it would be someplace closely that wasn't TOO expensive.

Balthazar stared at him a little bit before he answered. "England."

Wincing as this was DEFINITELY not someplace nearby, Dave then asked awkwardly, "Okay… No place closer, I take it? Perhaps on the same continent?" When Balthazar only looked at him with a funny look in his eyes, Dave suddenly nodded anyway. "Uh… O-Okay… Cool. I can do that! Yeah, I can do that easy!"

"In 928 AD." Balthazar then added.

Dave froze. "Pardon?"

"928 AD." The sorcerer repeated as he stood upright. "In November."

The younger man winced. "Ah." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well…" As the sorcerer started to walk towards him with a bad look in his eyes, Dave then asked meekly, "Maybe there's a… Time Traveling spell or something cool like that you have yet to teach me?"

This was enough to make the older man freeze and looked stunned. "A time…?"

"Time traveling… spell…" Dave finished lamely. "Yeah…"

Balthazar sighed heavily and Dave knew he had done the Wrong Thing. He tried to appeal to the man, but was stopped by the hand appearing in front of his face and an order of; "Hush." Obediently, he shut his mouth. The sorcerer then came right in front of him, saying softly, "You know what, Dave? I think I WILL take this… **_unfortunate_** opportunity to teach you a new spell." When Dave opened his mouth, Balthazar interrupted. "No, not a Time Traveling one. That is IMPOSSIBLE, no matter how many films you've seen or games you've played or books you've read." He then ordered, "Now, stand very still and hold out your arms, like you're holding a book. Palms up."

Putting out his arms as told, Dave asked with a hint of his old humor, "Heavy book? Light book?"

Balthazar stared at him. "A book." he said simply. He then went to the arm and grabbing at the arm right above the elbow, he used his other hand to grab the wrist and began to try and bend the elbow and then unbend it. Dave watched, resisting a bit at first since he was confused. Balthazar began to force it a little bit firmer. "No, don't be so stiff. Let me bend the elbow."

Relenting, Dave watched as Balthazar began to fold his arm and then unfold it. "What is this spell, by the way?" he asked, watching the older man carefully. "Some kind of… magic… muscle relaxation spell? I am feeling… kinda good." And he was! His arm felt very loose and nice-feeling.

"No." the older man corrected, still bending and unbending. "What you're feeling right now is stage one of the spell. All your muscles ARE relaxing, but they are also basically turning into rubber so I can work better with them. See?"

He then bent the elbow again but Dave's face contorted into a look of horror as he witnessed the sight that his arm had folded **backwards** at the elbow like it was nothing but a sheet of paper! The back of his hand was now touching his shoulder! It didn't hurt or anything, but it was unnerving and disgusting! "OH MY GOD!"

Dave tried to move away from Balthazar to try and fix himself, but he couldn't move! It was like he was glued into place! His muscles didn't want to obey him in the slightest. He could only stand there and watch in terror as his folded arm was then folded up again, like a paper doll! He screamed again, frightened, panting harshly.

"Stop screaming." Balthazar's tone was almost bored as he continued to fold up his apprentice like paper.

"I can't move!" Dave shouted, his heart racing.

As he was gently laid down on his back, Dave panted and gasped as his other arm was now worked on. "Of course not." The sorcerer replied casually and firmly. "I don't want you to escape before this is finished."

" _Escape_?!" Dave repeated in horror. When Balthazar had folded both arms gently against Dave's chest like you fold a long-sleeved shirt, Dave demanded, "What are you doing to me?!"

"Compacting you." came the answer as Balthazar stood up and headed down Dave's body.

Watching with horror in his eyes, Dave all but screamed, "WHAT?!"

"Making you smaller without making you denser and heavier." came the calm answer. "It's a very useful trick."

Dave then gasped as his legs were given the same weird paper-folding treatment as his arm, his body becoming amazingly 2-D as it was folded up smaller and smaller. "MY LEGS!" he shouted, wondering if it was too late to beg unashamedly for his life.

"Hush." came the soft instruction and the only reason Dave obeyed was because Balthazar had reached his head and had folded it in half like a cardboard cutout, muffling all sounds from him. He then said gently as he kept folding the compacting body, "Now just relax and stop resisting, Dave. I'm nearly done."

Granted, this did nothing to reassure Dave, who could still hear perfectly, though he was now blind and his sense of touch was horrifically skewed thanks to the weird situation he was in. He couldn't move so he couldn't struggle and so all he could do was lie there in what felt like horrible darkness as he felt his body manipulated and folded and folded and folded! He couldn't talk or do anything and he felt so helpless!

Finally, after a lot of folding and weirdness, there was sudden light! A point of light appeared in front of him and Dave got the oddest sensation in his mind; like he had a line from his head to his toes and that somehow, he had been turned inside out… but still had his organs inside and his skin and hair outside!

His mind and body reeling from the harsh experience, Dave stumbled haphazardly to his feet, panting. Finding he had a proper 3D body and a working mouth again, he then shouted, "Don't _EVER_ do that to me again!" He then groaned and dropped to his knees. "Ohhh, I taste more sour in my mouth…" Fortunately, he wasn't sick as he feared and he then looked up, frowning. He was going to find Balthazar and- "OH GOD, you're a giant!" Dave screamed, falling over backwards to land on his rump. He was sitting now on one of their tables, surrounded all sides by what seemed like massive books hemming him in like a mouse. And far above him towered the familiar face of his Master, though at a much larger scale. Had the whole store been grown? No wait…

Balthazar smirked, saying, "Actually, Dave, if you put your brain to work, you'd see that…" he smiled as he let the sentence trail off.

"I'm… shrunk?" Dave suggested weakly, shaking.

"Indeed." Balthazar smiled as he leaned forwards in the chair he was sitting in and very gently pinched the back of Dave's shirt, lifting him into the air casually. Dave freaked out at this, kicking and screaming as he fought to escape.

"HEY!" he shouted, trying to be angry but his high-pitched voice betrayed his true feelings.

He gulped hard as he was suddenly held in the air in front of the massive face of his Master. He stared into the huge eyes as they narrowed in a smile. "You ARE shrunk." Balthazar leaned back in the chair, still holding Dave in such a derogatory position. "To EXACTLY three inches, by the way."

Shaking as he realized this was exactly true, the young apprentice stammered out, "W-W-Why?"

Shrugging, Balthazar gently lifted Dave higher above him, saying with casual smile, "Well, for once thing: I DID mean to teach you this spell eventually. It's quite useful!" He then gently placed the small man back onto the tabletop.

Looking around him as he tried to find an exit route, Dave saw no practical use for this spell that could warrant it's passing down the sorcerer's generational ladder of knowledge, especially NOW. "But-But… I'm so vulnerable!" he protested, shaking as he looked around. His lab seemed like a very horrifying place all of a sudden. "I could be squashed or eaten by a rat!" he whined a bit, looking up at Balthazar meekly.

But the sorcerer seemed impervious to human emotions because he only shook his head. "Nope. You see, the compacting DID compact your molecules, so believe it or not, not only are you on the shy side of being utterly invulnerable, you still weigh the same."

Dave looked at him, asking, "But then why-"

Balthazar smiled as he finished the question. "-aren't you breaking through the table due to the fact that all your weight is focused on a smaller point on which to apply pressure?"

Startled that the other man had been able to guess so accurately, Dave nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, it's another case of magic versus eyes." Balthazar explained casually as he straightened up in the chair, idly scratching his stomach. "Your eyes and brain see you as being tiny, but your magic sees you as being tiny and therefore lighter. The magic inside of you adjusted you accordingly." He shrugged. "Kind of like how your ears pop when the pressure changes. It's all automatic."

Nodding, Dave then said, "Nice explanations, Balthazar, but you didn't answer my question."

"Which one?" the sorcerer asked, confused.

Dave then gestured to himself, all but shouting: "Why am I tiny?!"

"Oh that." the man said airily, as if it had been a minor detail he had not yet addressed. He then paused, asking courteously, "You _sure_ you want me to be honest about that one?"

"YES!" Dave screamed at him, tired and scared of all this new stuff in one day.

Sighing, Balthazar pointed a finger at Dave, saying, "All right, but you asked for it." He leaned back in the chair and while cleaning his fingernails with a small knife, he looked at Dave as he said, "You are tiny because I plan to eat you."

Dave's brain stopped all functions at this statement and it took a few minutes for the meaning of the words to get into his head. "P-Par-Pardon?!" he gulped nervously, shaking more horribly now. "Y-you want to do… wh-what…?"

Balthazar leaned forwards, a hand extended ominously. "Eat, swallow, gulp, ingest, consume, dine upon…" He shrugged. "Take your pick, really. It all means the same thing in the end. You…" He pointed to Dave and then to his belly. "…in here."

Feeling weak like he would faint, Dave tried to think of a way out of such an odd situation. He started to walk backwards, stuttering, "Bu-Bu-But you can't **_DO_** that to me!"

"Oh? Can't I?" Balthazar was smiling now in a way that Dave found most unsettling and he moved away from the fingers, shaking as they only started to slowly follow him.

All but running, Dave then pleaded, "No! No, you can't!"

With the fingers nearly upon him, the sorcerer paused. "Why not?"

"I'm your _apprentice_!" Dave screamed, his heart fluttering weakly inside his chest at seeing the powerful hand so close to him. One squeeze from that thing and he was deader than dead! "Doesn't that MEAN anything to you?" he pleaded, now on his knees as his legs failed him, shaking.

Balthazar's face was horrifically blank as he asked, "Such as…?"

Shaking harder, Dave then argued, "Wouldn't it seem like such a horrific waste of time to go through all that work to find me and train me and then have it all end like THAT?" He watched as the fingers crept playfully closer, unable to look at anything else. "I mean, come on! That's HORRIBLE!"

"For you, maybe." came the casual reply and Dave then outright screamed as the back of his shirt was pinched again and he was lifted up into the air.

Struggling and kicking, Dave started to scream. "YES, for ME! Let me go!"

With an evil smile, Balthazar lifted the little man above his face, saying, "If you wi-"

"OH NO!" Dave shrieked, going instantly limp. Balthazar stared at him in confusion until he then explained, "I've seen my share of cartoons! You put me down on the **table** , Balthazar." When the man lingered for too long over his open mouth, Dave screamed again, " ** _TABLE!_** "

All but laughing, Balthazar then stated as if the tiny apprentice had said nothing, "And now, do behave once you've gotten down inside. I'll need quiet to work…" He brought back out the bag into which he had scooped up the charred and ashen remains of his coat.

Staring in confusion, Dave then screamed, "On your coat?!" Then the light bulb flickered to life. "Wait… WAIT! Can't you just magically fix your stupid coat!?" he pleaded.

At this comment, Balthazar gave him a scathing look. "Of course I can." he snapped. "But that's not the point." He then settled down more comfortably in the chair, addressing the tiny, hanging man, "Now… Enough dillydallying."

As he was lifted into the air again, Dave started to scream and shout. He looked down past his feet and saw the gaping mouth of his Master. It frightened him beyond reason and he started to plead and cry for his life. "PLEASE!" He looked down into the large green eyes, pleading, "Balthazar, please! Don't do this to me!"

But the sorcerer only smiled. "Perhaps in the future we will be more careful with other people's clothing and plasma bolts?" he said with a song-song accent to his voice.

"YES!" Dave all but sobbed. "Yes, I swear I've learned!"

Balthazar seemed to consider this for a time before he shook his head. "Nope… Too hungry to care!"

Dave screamed and scrabbled as he was brought closer to the face of his Master, flailing as he tried to get loose. He tried more pleading and begging with the man, but only got his legs licked at for his troubles. The touch was warm and soft, but so wet and disgusting! He grimaced as he tried to get himself free, all but screeching in terror as he was lowered in halfway into the huge mouth. He saw the two rows of teeth starting to close and he scrabbled in desperation at the bottom lip, even trying to grab what he could of the scruffy beard!

He cried out as the teeth closed on his waist and his shirt was released. The teeth didn't hurt him, but he was pinned in place and that darn tongue was attacking his lower body and getting it soaked with more gooey saliva. "STOP IT!" he screamed, trying to pull himself out, but the teeth were closed just enough to keep him stuck tightly.

Dave then panted hard as he felt Balthazar moving around and realized that the man had leaned back and allowed his head to flop backwards over the edge of the chair so that his head was parallel to the floor. Dave then yelped as the teeth loosened slightly, causing him to start to slip. He realized that now the gravity would be what got him down if he wasn't careful! Upon realizing this, Dave tried harder to climb out, but the tongue gave no purchase for his feet and the slime was just making things harder!

Balthazar smirked as Dave started a whole new barrage of pleads and screams as he tried to work himself loose and instead only managed to squirm himself down in deeper! Oh it felt so wonderful…

The sorcerer smiled as he recalled the day Merlin had taught him this spell. Merlin's intent had been to use it for storing large objects out of sight so that they couldn't be found by those searching for them. It had helped several times, and Balthazar had adopted it for the hiding of various items such as the Encantus and his various pieces of important equipment in tiny places around his various homes where no one had found them.

And yet… Balthazar had been curious.

He had tried it on one of the drunks in the village and had fallen in love with the idea ever since. He never killed anything with this spell, since that was simply too cruel. No, he only used it to play or when he needed the closet space. He would have to teach Dave to enjoy it in the future…

Completely opening his mouth suddenly, Dave let out a very adorable squeak as he fell down into the large mouth and hit the back with a damp thud. Grinning, the sorcerer then shut his mouth and while Dave was still confused and panicked and squirmy, he slicked him up quickly and then swallowed strongly, the excess air in his mouth causing it to be a louder-sounding gulp than normal. Not that he cared much about the sound! It was the FEELING he was enjoying the most! Poor Dave was still freaking out and he was just not going down without a fight! It was just a shame that a 'fight' really only consisted of a few wriggles and struggles that did nothing but make the sorcerer smile and rub at his neck playfully with a few fingers.

Just a few more inches and he would have his young apprentice snugly in his belly and then the fun would start!

At the loud sound of the swallow, a scary wet sound, Dave had started to scream and hadn't stopped yet even though it was all muffled as he was all confined and enveloped in warm, squishy walls. He had been taken down feet first and since he had been resisting right to the end, his arms were left outstretched before him. Dave tried to get himself loose, tried to claw his way to freedom like he had seen in cartoons, but he found reality was much more frightening than the cartoons had ever let on. As he was squeezed and sucked downwards, Dave let out a few more screams before he grew exhausted of that and instead diverted his energy to trying to squirm free. Maybe if he shifted and moved a lot, it would bother Balthazar to the point that he would deem him too troublesome a morsel and cough him back up? It usually always worked in those movies with giant animals!

As his struggles continued and his freedom didn't show itself, Dave began to give up hope. Why was this happening?! Sure, he had failed a few spells on the first try, but he had always gotten them after practice! Had Balthazar finally snapped and deemed him not worthy of teaching because he wasn't learning fast enough? Was this how he got rid of all his defective apprentices? Gulped them down like nothing but a cheap candy?

Shuddering at the sudden horrific thought of landing in a slimy pit of bones and semi-digested flesh, Dave started again to try and get loose, to claw his way back up somehow. He tried to grab the walls and while his fingers did easily find ridges and grooves to slip into, they were too gooey to grab a hold of and he just couldn't get a grip! How on earth was one supposed to get out of here when the walls were so uncooperative?!

Shaking as he started to cry from sheer frustration and fear, Dave tried again and again to get free, his heart beating weakly in his chest. He had never pictured his in his Mental Book of Possible Deaths. Electrocution from a miscalculated tesla coil? Yeah, he had thought of that. Drowning in the river in winter? Hitting his head? A mugger? Yeah, he had considered all of those.

But being shrunk down and then swallowed whole by a man who had taught him magic? That was a new one.


	2. Chapter 2

Shuddering and shaking horrifically, Dave suddenly let out a yelp as the flesh around him opened up and he slid down a wet, slippery slope. "Oh no no no no!" he screamed, his knowledge of biology already telling him where he was. But this was no help as he slipped down the whole way and landed with a nasty wet sound into a squishy floor. It wasn't a splash so much as a… ' _gloap_ '-sounding noise. It sounded as disgusting as it felt and for a few seconds he could only lie there on his back and groan in utter revulsion.

His clothes were soaked clean through with saliva from being in the mouth and gullet and now that he was in the stomach of his Master, he knew that there were even nastier slimes in his clothes and hair. He tried to scrape his face clean of the nasty stuff, shaking in disgust.

After a few seconds, he started to sit up, his heart pounding thickly in his ears. He then winced. That wasn't **his** heart! That was Balthazar's! Man, was it ever loud! The darn thing echoed with each beat into his body and he could only sit there and cover his head fearfully, quivering.

Balthazar smiled and sighed heavily as he felt the warm, tiny weight of the young man inside of him, like a little hot coal that tingled and made him feel good. He sat up and rested a hand over his stomach, looking down at it and smiling. He would never get used to this and for that he was glad. That meant it always felt new and wonderful.

He pressed down gently, saying quietly, "How you doing in there, kid?" He knew that his voice, while it normally would have sounded too muffled to understand, would be heard easily by the younger sorcerer. Ah, the wonders of magic!

As he had known he would, the kid stiffened in surprise and he even felt a light kick of shock. He grinned as Dave sat up, shouting, "BALTHAZAR?!"

Settled down more comfortably in the chair, Balthazar setup a steady rubbing, smirking, "Who else?"

He raised an eyebrow as he felt a series of panicked kicks and punches as well as a frenzied scream of, "Please! I don't know what I did wrong but PLEASE get me out of here!"

Dave panted as he heard the voice clear in his head, rather irritated and bored; "Hey, hey! No rocking the boat, Dave."

Shaking, Dave started to kick again nonetheless, shouting desperately, "PLEASE! I don't want to die in here!"

"Well, who said anything about dying?" came the amused question.

This was enough to reach Dave's brain and he shivered as he stopped moving long enough to shakily ask, "Wh-What?"

He felt the wall press in at him again and he moved away from it, shaking as the words echoed in his skull. "Hello? Remember? _Sorcery_?"

"Um…" Dave hesitated. How was that supposed to help anything?

With an aggravated sigh, Balthazar then asked, "You really think I would kill you?"

Shuddering as he looked around him at the large-ish chamber and knowing what this place was used for, Dave only shuddered. "Well, considering where I am and how I got here… would it be so terrible of me to make a guess like that?" he asked with a ghost of a smile.

There was a chuckle around him and then a gentle, "While this is very true, think about it: you're a sorcerer, you're not dead and you're not being hurt. Right?"

Blinking as he realized these were all correct, Dave answered hesitantly, "Ri… Right…"

"So then relax." came the simple command. "You won't die in there."

While it WAS a bit of a relief to hear this from his Master, Dave was still very uneasy and unhappy about this situation. It was hot and sticky in here and he felt dirty, like he had to shower for a week. The heartbeats pounded above him and the breathing echoed around him, reminding him EXACTLY where he was: inside of another man. It was a scary thought and he withdrew to the backmost wall, or what he thought was the back wall. At the very least, it was the wall furthest away from the rubbings, that was for sure! He settled himself there and hugged his knees, muttering, "I don't like this…"

He was startled to feel the floor shift under him and then hear Balthazar ask, "Aww, why not, Dave? It's nice and soft, isn't it? Warm too."

Dave looked around. While this was obviously very true, blatantly true, it wasn't comforting. "It's GROSS in here!" he protested, frowning. The slime and ooze was something he wasn't enjoying one single bit and he tried again to wipe his face, shuddering.

There was a movement around him as Balthazar moved and did something in the outside world and his voice echoed in his skull. "Well, I never promised that my tummy would be perfect, you know."

Dave found himself grimacing and he spoke without thinking. "Don't-Don't use that word." He had never liked the word 'tummy'. He hadn't had any traumatizing experiences or anything, but it just made him feel so childish and silly and embarrassed. He couldn't explain it. If someone was going to talk about their body, let them use proper anatomy terms and not childish ones!

"What?" came the confused question.

Instantly regretting he had said anything, Dave pleaded as he used the wall to try and stay upright, "Nothing."

"What word?" Balthazar asked.

"Never mind." Dave said, retreating. There was no point in carrying on this conversation. It had probably been a one time thing anyway!

But Balthazar wasn't giving up. The walls compressed a little around him as the sorcerer probably pressed on his stomach again. "What?"

" _Nothing!_ " Dave snapped. "Can we please drop the conversation?"

There was a bit of a pause before Balthazar's voice came again, sounding very confused. "Tummy?"

Dave winced and he flopped down, groaning, "Please, Balthazar!"

The floor started to jerk under him and Dave yelped in surprise. It took him a few seconds to realize that the man was laughing. "Are you _kidding_ me?!" he asked in what was clearly childish glee and Dave groaned.

"Oh, no… No no no…" This wasn't going to be good.

Balthazar laughed again and then said in a sing-song tone, " _You're stuck in my tum-my…_ "

"STOP IT!" Dave screamed, blushing hotly and kicking the walls in irritation. "Grow up and stop being such a child!"

And even though he was stuck in hot darkness, Dave knew that Balthazar was smiling hugely. "Oh, I'm going to get some **_gooood_** mileage out of this…"

Balthazar chuckled as he stood up, stretching. He felt Dave jerk inside as he tried to find his own balance, not used to the movements. He rubbed at him gently and carrying his bag of ashes, walked into the Merlin's Circle. Kneeling, he poured the ashes into the center of the Circle and stood over it, spreading his feet so as to not crush any of the ashes. Inhaling deeply, Balthazar shut his eyes and raising his arms above his head, lowered them to have his palms touching each other at about chest height, the fingers pointing straight out before him. He then spoke gently, "Now, Dave, I want you to sit up."

He felt a flutter from inside as his apprentice moved again. "What?"

"Sit up, Dave." Balthazar ordered firmly, not moving from his position.

There was another slight shift from inside, and Dave answered hesitantly, "I… I am."

"You're lying." Balthazar said, opening one eye a crack. He could feel that Dave was lying down; probably still sore about the whole 'being eaten' experience.

"What?" came the confused and shocked question.

"You're lying on your front." the sorcerer said gently, flexing his fingers.

There was a long moment of guilty silence. "How could you tell?"

"I just can." Balthazar said as he resumed his position. "Now sit up straight."

"Why?" came the bitter question.

Shaking his fingers and shifting his feet on the floor, Balthazar answered in a very matter-of-fact kind of voice, "You ruined my coat so you are going to help me fix it."

Feeling a bad-tempered kick from inside, Balthazar sighed a little as Dave ranted, "Well, **THAT'S** terrific planning! Why not tell me that BEFORE eating me?!"

"Hush." Balthazar ordered, tightening his muscles to squeeze his stomach. This had the desired effect of Dave being confused by the narrowing space and becoming quiet. Inhaling deeply to focus himself as he let his stomach relax, the sorcerer then said gently, "Now… I want you to fold your hands, like you're praying, palms touching each other, but make your fingers point away from you. Now, inhale and exhale deeply." Feeling no complying motion inside, he tensed again. "Go on!"

There was an immediate surge of moment as Dave shouted, "All right, all right!" Loosening, Balthazar was pleased to feel Dave sitting upright and putting his hands as told. "Like this?"

"Exactly." Balthazar said, smiling. He could already feel the magic starting to transfer.

He was drawn from his thoughts as Dave barked, "HOW can you even TELL? Do you have a camera in here or something?!"

"Magic." came the simple answer.

Dave paused. "Oh." He said softly. He waited a few seconds, still with his hands in the proper position. "So…" He shrugged and looked up, needing to look someplace. "What next?"

His Master's voice echoed in his head, clear as a bell. "Inhale and exhale deeply. Clear your mind."

"Fat chance of THAT." Dave muttered, looking around him cautiously. Maybe it was magic, or maybe it was his eyes, but he seemed to be able to see better in here. It was very small, very wet and very slippery-looking. He grimaced and shut his eyes, trying to focus instead on his hands, feeling a warm… THING between his palms. Was that his magic? He sighed and thought about where he was again, his heart beating a bit thicker. He didn't like this…

He jerked when Balthazar said with a slight warning tone, "Dave…"

"OKAY, okay!" Dave snapped, and shut his eyes, inhaling and exhaling. "Clearing…" He smiled faintly as he soon found the warm, emptiness inside of him as he emptied his head of all thoughts.

"Good." Dave smiled to himself at hearing this. True, he didn't always like Balthazar, but when he did manage a bit of praise, it felt good. "Now… I want you to focus on me."

"Huh?" Dave asked, opening an eye and looking up.

"Think only of me." Balthazar repeated.

Dave's brown furrowed. "Why?"

Wincing as the floor flexed under him again, Dave heard, "I'm going to use **_your_** magic to fix my coat. Think of it like me using your money."

"Um… Okay…" Dave said slowly. That was an interesting way to put it, but it made sense. "So why do I have to think of you?" Not that it would be hard, Dave thought, looking around him a little apprehensively. It wasn't like there was anyway he COULDN'T think of Balthazar while he was inside of the man! "And why couldn't I have stayed _outside_ for this?" he said with a bit of a whine in his voice, glancing around him warily again.

"That way my magic can find yours and use it as a battery for the spell. And because this will allow me to take every single drop of energy you give me without any of it getting lost in the transfer." The sorcerer explained. "Now go ahead and start."

"Oh. Okay." Dave sighed and closed his eyes again.

He sighed again, slower this time, letting his head empty. Keeping his hands in the proper position, Dave started to think about Balthazar. He thought about his smelly coat and his funny little hat. He thought about the old man shoes. He thought of the way Balthazar glared at him when he did something wrong. He thought of the way Balthazar would smile proudly when he got something right. He thought of how he had to drag the man out of the shower after three hours. He thought of how he had to deal with him being in his life all the time.

He thought of how his heart beat so loudly around him, the sound echoing into his bones. He thought of how he could hear the breathing so close by, the sound very gentle and soothing. And though it might be his imagination, he thought of how he could hear the blood rushing through the veins around him, keeping his Master alive. He thought of how he thought he could even FEEL the flesh living around him…

There was a sudden start as Dave heard gently in his head, "That's it… Almost…"

Smiling faintly, Dave exhaled slowly, ducking his head.

He thought of how warm it was in here. It wasn't too hot, but was more of a comfortable heat. He thought of how soft the floor was. It was almost sagging under his slight weight, though he knew he had to be imagining that. He thought of how if he opened his eye to look, he would see how pink and slick the walls looked.

Sighing deeply as he felt something warm up inside of him, Dave thought about how safe he felt with Balthazar.

Balthazar exhaled slowly and carefully, feeling Dave's weight inside and feeling a sense of warmth from him. "Good… Very good." he murmured gently as he drew on this warmth, gently drawing out his apprentice's magic. He channeled it right into the pile of ashes and with a few gentle and graceful hand motions, Balthazar watched through heavy-lidded eyes as the coat began to reform itself from the ashes, soon becoming perfectly as he remembered it.

He smiled and then standing still again, exhaled gently, stopping the drawing of power from the young man.

Almost the instant this happened, he felt Dave sag against a wall, saying softly, "Oh WOW… Head is fuzzy…"

"That's normal." Balthazar smiled as he took the coat and hung it up again, picking off stray threads and brushing off patches of dust. "Go to sleep."

He felt a surprised squirm inside. "What?! In here?"

Balthazar shook his head, grinning. Apparently, Dave was completely himself again and was back into his 'slightly fearful and freaked out' self. He went and sat down in his chair, saying, "Well, I did drain you to perform the spell. And I don't want to bring you out until you've recovered. So go to sleep. That's how you recharge."

There was a long pause and then Dave asked meekly, "In… here?"

"No, at the Ritz." Balthazar answered calmly as he grabbed the Encantus.

"Really?!" came the surprised and pleased question.

Balthazar shifted potion a little too roughly on purpose, feeling Dave fall over to his side. "Hush. I'm working." he said, settling down again as he flipped the book open to the next series of spells he was planning to teach Dave.

There was a moment of quiet but then Balthazar felt Dave shaking a little bit inside of him. Curious, he prodded at his belly, blinking when Dave blurted out, "Balthazar, I don't want to stay in here!"

Sighing, the sorcerer put his hand flat over his belly, asking gently, "And why's that?"

"It's… freaky in here…" Dave said, clearly uneasy.

Balthazar frowned, easily able to tell that Dave wasn't admitting all of his thoughts. He slowed his hand and rubbed gently at where he could feel the tiny man, asking again gently, "Dave, what's wrong?"

There was an even longer pause and as he felt the small body snuggle against the rubbing, he heard Dave admit, "I… I feel… small…" But then he withdrew from the wall, snapping loudly, "Oh, forget I said that!"

Balthazar smiled and instead of taking the unintentional bait, he sat upright. "Dave, if I told you I could make you a little bigger, so that you're not so small inside… Would you want me to do that?"

The response was immediate and he felt a firm kick. "Uhhh, **_no_**." Dave shifted around again, saying, "Unless you plan to get me out, no more weird folding or unfolding of my limbs!"

"Your choice." Balthazar shrugged, settling down again and reading the book.

Dave glanced around him, shivering ever so slightly. He wasn't scared of what would happen to him. He knew now that he wouldn't be hurt. It was just his instincts, he supposed, that were freaking him out. "Please, Balthazar?" he asked, rubbing at the floor.

"Please what?" came the calm and somewhat-distracted sounding answer.

"Please let me out?" He didn't like how the space was so small and wet. How close and smothering it was. It frightened him on some primal level that he didn't want to think about.

There was a long moment of silence and for a moment, Dave's heart sank, thinking that Balthazar was truly going to ignore him. But then he yelped as the wall pressed in at him, scrabbling away from it, but slipping and falling. He got upright, shaking. "Dave… Lie down on your back." came Balthazar's voice in his head.

"My back?" Dave repeated, glancing down at the floor. He didn't want to put more of himself into contact with that gooey, squishy floor! He was already grossed out enough!

His Master's voice echoed in his head. "Yes. Lie down on it."

"Wh-" Dave started.

"Just do it!" came the firm, sharp command. Shaking, Dave reluctantly did as told, muttering in disgust as he lay down on the floor, shuddering as he sank down a bit into the flesh. It reminded him of those down-filled comforters on beds. He lay very still, and little by little, the shaking went away as he focused on the warmth and softness to distract his frightened mind. He blinked as the floor moved a bit under him, but in a motion that was soft and gentle. That wasn't Balthazar rubbing at him. That was just the stomach doing what it normally did! Dave felt his fear lessen a bit more as he realized this. The stomach was TRYING to treat him like food, trying to move him further down, but Balthazar wasn't letting it. He was keeping him safe.

"Now… Just relax." came the calm command and Dave sighed heavily. He didn't WANT to but he obeyed his Master and with one last shudder, he let himself go limp into the softness. It really did feel like a bedcover, he noted to himself.

After a while, he felt a new warmth under him. It was new because it wasn't warming his body like the rest of the flesh. This time, it felt like the heat was actually slipping right into his body, right inside where he had his magic. He was a bit startled at first and as he felt his magic being manipulated, he got defensive, swatting at his chest as he panicked.

There was the sound of a heavy thud from the outside and Balthazar's voice came to him again. "Now, now, Dave. That's just me."

"What are you doing?!" Dave all but squealed as he fought and wriggled on the floor, trying to expel this intruder from his core.

"Just a little spell…" Balthazar explained calmly. "To let you feel what I am feeling."

Dave froze, gasping, "B-B-But that m-means…" The young apprentice went very still as the magic reconnected and he became aware of an odd weight in his stomach. He shivered, whimpering. "Oh god."

Balthazar smiled as Dave went very still inside, obviously not expecting this. The sorcerer then went over to the cot and lay down on his back, to give Dave more room to explore, knowing that the reason his poor apprentice was so freaked was because this was all so new and strange to him. Maybe by experiencing it himself, he would be able to understand it more and as such, be less afraid of it.

Sighing happily, Balthazar then murmured, "I'm just going to sleep, Dave. Have fun!"

"Fun?" Dave repeated weakly, shuddering as he felt the warm weight inside of him. The invasive magic had left, but that feeling was still there. He shifted to roll to his side and then went still as he realized he felt an identical movement inside. Cautiously, he rolled the other way and felt that as well!

He blinked. How could he be feeling so tiny a movement? He settled in place and started to shift his legs, biting his lip as this felt… good! He smiled a little bit. "Okay, this is kinda cool…" he admitted softly. He then did various tests of movements, trying to feel which ones felt stronger inside. Rolling to his hands and knees, he started to rub at the floor and let out a soft moan as he realized it was so delightful. He did it harder and harder, his body shaking as he fought to remain upright. He wanted to just collapse from the delightful sensations!

Eagerly, he now rolled, able to feel from himself which way he was facing. He found the back wall and started to rub at it, gigging to himself at it tickled a bit. It felt like he was rubbing into his spine! He then made a fist and pushed it into the wall, pushing and pushing and pushing. He would have thought it would hurt, but no! He felt it only as an interesting pressure inside and it didn't ache at all! He kept pushing until his arm was in to the elbow and he just couldn't get the right footing to go any deeper and then started to twist his fist around. He moaned, his knees buckling as a thrill of pleasure shot up his spine. Oh that felt WONDERFUL!

He withdrew his hand, panting as he tried to recover, smiling to himself. He then turned around and tried the front wall this time, noting that it felt… slightly less supported than the back wall had. He wondered if he could be seen from the outside… Dave repeated his trick and shoved his arm hard against the wall, but while he eventually got to the elbow, he realized he had no way to check! He tried to look down at his own stomach, even lifting his shirt, but saw nothing.

The sensation wasn't as intense from this angle, so Dave withdrew and this time tried the left side of the stomach, closer to the top of it. Settling down into the curve there, he started to paw and rub the wall, noting how it felt good and gentle inside. He smiled to himself, saying quietly, "Okay, this is weird and magical and gross… But this is pretty fun."

Rolling over to his front now, Dave started to work on the floor, trying out this new angle. He shivered a little in delight as it was like a ticklish and prickly sensation, kind of like pins and needles, but in a good way!

Outside, Balthazar smiled broadly, utterly relaxed as he enjoyed Dave's exploration. That spell had been one of his best ideas EVER.


	3. Chapter 3

When he woke up, Dave didn't remember when he had fallen asleep. Yawning, he stretched strongly, groaning softly as something popped in his neck pleasantly. He flopped back down and lay there a while longer with his eyes closed, sighing deeply. Shifting in place a little, he found himself grinning as there was an odd sensation inside, one that he didn't recognize, but simply enjoyed. The floor was very soft and warm under his body, making him feel so very relaxed. He didn't want to get out of bed to have to face a hard day of training!

His fingers were wet…

At this random and odd realization, his eyes shot open with a flash as all the memories came flooding back to him. Where he was, what Balthazar had done to him, **_where he was_** … Dave sat up, panting hard, but then bit his lip as he felt the warm, tickly sensation inside again, stronger this time, making him want to curl up and just enjoy it. Apparently, the linking spell was still in effect.

"Well, good morning."

The voice in his head startled him and Dave jerked upright, trying hard to ignore the pleasant sensation inside, panting, "Balthazar?"

He heard an odd, hollow noise and saw that one of the walls was moving inwards slightly and he realized Balthazar was rubbing at him. "Thought you'd never wake up!" the sorcerer said cheerfully.

Dave swallowed hard and hesitantly got up, walking carefully over to the moving wall. He lost his balance and fell forwards against it, trying to dig in his fingers to avoid slipping. He shivered, grinning openly as he felt the feeling inside and bit his lip as he 'scratched' at the wall, feeling the ticklish motion inside. He then started to rub firmly back at the wall, digging in his fingers harder than before, pushing back at the pressure of the man's fingers. He still felt so weird and scared about this whole deal, but heck, he STILL didn't understand all this magic business. But he was alive! So perhaps he could enjoy it for a while longer…

"Well, well… Look who's come around!" Balthazar's voice was amused and Dave felt the wall press in more firmly. Dave couldn't help but smile at this, glad to see his Master wasn't angry at him anymore.

After a time, he sat down, hugging his own stomach firmly. He liked the sensations inside, but they felt… weird. They only happened when he moved and he was a little tired of it now, now that it was predictable. Somehow, that made it loose some of its charm… if that even made sense. Sighing, Dave sat up, calling out, "Balthazar? I want to come out now…"

For a time, Balthazar didn't reply and Dave gave him an irritated kick. "Hmmm?" the man asked, sounding distracted.

"I said I want to come OUT." Dave repeated, standing up and grabbing at the ridges in the wall to avoid falling over, chuckling quietly at the way it felt inside.

Balthazar's voice was openly disappointed as he asked, "What, already?"

About to reply, Dave paused. He then shouted, "What time is it anyway?"

"10 in the morning…" Balthazar answered in that same distracted tone, like he was reading at the same time.

Dave started in surprise. He sat up and pushing himself to a kneeling position, asking in surprise, "Wait, I've been in here ALL NIGHT?!"

"Well, of course." Balthazar replied and Dave saw the wall push in again in a gentle rub. Balthazar was quiet, and Dave realized what the man wanted. Moving on the slippery floor, Dave managed by slipping and sliding to come over and press his back against the wall, unintentionally smiling as the rubs changed to be gentler against him, the warm, firm pressure on his back feeling like a wonderful massage. "I wasn't going to wake myself up in the middle of the night to get you out solely for your convenience." Balthazar then added, chuckling quietly.

Smiling weakly, Dave shook his head and then leaned back fully against the wall, relaxing. After a time, he pushed at the walls again. When Balthazar made a grunt of acknowledgement, Dave shoved again. "Can I come OUT?"

The sorcerer then sighed in an irritated manner and Dave froze, thinking for a moment he had upset his Master. But he then yelped and fell over to lie on his front as he heard Balthazar said, "No patience at all…" Dave heard Balthazar mutter something quietly and Dave blinked as he felt a very weird sensation inside. He touched hesitantly at his stomach, trying to realize what had been done. Shifting his position, he prodded his belly, but then paused in realization. He hadn't felt it! When he had moved just now, he hadn't felt it inside. Balthazar had cut the link of the spell between them.

When this happened, Dave paused as he suddenly realized how very… ALONE he felt in here. He knew that Balthazar knew he was here, but it still frightened him to be alone in this darkness. He cringed and hugged himself and then made his way to the front wall. He tried rubbing at it to get Balthazar's attention, wanting the man to rub at him again, but the sorcerer didn't respond, making Dave frown and feel uneasy.

As he felt Balthazar walking, Dave rubbed at his arm as he realized he didn't know how Balthazar was going to get him back out! Would the man just… throw him back up, or magic him out somehow? Balthazar stopped moving and Dave slid as the gravity shifted again. He felt the man rubbing at him, but the rubs seemed to come from below now. It took a second for Dave to realize what this meant; Balthazar was leaning over something. Dave blanched. "Please be the sink…" he moaned.

He then yelped as the area suddenly compacted around him, squeezing him firmly between two walls of flesh. As he wriggled in surprise and confusion, Dave found he could not find anything to compare the odd sensation to. One idea that popped into his head was when you lie in bed under a thick, heavy blanket when it was cold outside. But that comparison failed because the two walls sandwiching and squeezing him so powerfully moved and shifted and pulsed and rolled over him in ways that reminded him without a doubt that the whole place was alive around him. That and the fact that he upright between the walls, held that way by the powerful muscles. It was hard to breath and he couldn't even move so much as a finger! It suddenly dawned on him that Balthazar might actually be capable of CRUSHING him if he wasn't careful! He shivered and squirmed, shouting, "Balthazar! What's going on?!"

Getting no answer, Dave tried to shout again, but his words were muffled as his head was suddenly squeezed tightly in hot, wet darkness, feeling it press in on him more securely than before. He panicked, shouting and wriggling, trying to get himself free, but despite his best efforts the sensation only spread, squeezing his shoulders together, his arms to his sides and then squeezing his legs into immobility.

His heart racing, Dave tried to shout for Balthazar again, not really knowing what was going on. It was pitch dark around him and the fact that he had no idea what was going on was frightening him to no end. He could feel the slick, wet walls squeezing in on him, felt the flesh shift and move around him as he struggled, feeling the pulses of muscles squelching more and more slime into his clothes, making him feel beyond violated and disgusted.

Screaming in terror, Dave gagged as he felt slime and liquids forced into his mouth, coughing harshly. He was going to drown! Writhing and squirming, Dave shut his mouth, trying to breathe through his nose only. That helped, like breathing through your nose when your head's under the shower spray, but he shivered and shook, his heart racing fearfully.

Dave's eyes suddenly opened as he realized he couldn't hear his heart beating… He could FEEL it, could feel the terrified fluttering in his chest, but… there was another one closer. It was slower, stronger… bigger.

Balthazar! Dave tried to squirm, to call out to him, but then he noticed something. All the time he had been inside of his Master's belly, he had always noted that while the heartbeats had echoed around him, he had mostly registered them as being above him. But now? Now the beats seemed… like they were getting closer. But a heart couldn't lower itself in a chest! So that meant…

As he came equal with the heart, Dave realized that HE was the one moving! He barely had any time to register his massive relief before the walls tightened again, forcing him upwards. He shut his eyes and though his body spasmed and shook uncontrollably, Dave let himself go limp. He prayed it would be over soon…

The world was suddenly cold, bright and empty and Dave was falling.

He shouted in pain from the light as it seared into his skull, having been in darkness for the longest time. His body shook even as he fell, the cold air BITING into him and hurting him! It felt like his skin was hardening and that if he moved, it would shatter, like that funny chocolate syrup you could pour onto ice cream. He flailed, trying desperately to find something solid, unable to look around, feeling blind and helpless.

Dave hit a surface so suddenly that he could only lie there, stunned for a time. The landing had been very gentle thankfully and he registered the floor under him was warm…. Oh that warmth felt SO nice… Though he had fallen for less than a second and for hardly 2 inches, his mind had nearly snapped and he lay on his back, eyes squeezed shut and panting hard as he lay there, his heart hammering in his chest. His fingers were gripping at the soft, warm floor as his body shivered in this horrifically bright and cold world.

He suddenly registered a warm, soft pressure moving on top of his stomach and Dave could only lie there and enjoy it, his body sucking up the warmth and just trying to still come to terms with the fact that he was ALIVE! There was no way you could hurt this much if you were dead.

"Come on, Dave, enough theatrics. I know you're alive…"

That voice… Opening an eye blearily, Dave yelped as he saw Balthazar looking down at him, his face huge and gigantic and frightening.

The sorcerer only smiled at him and then sat up, lifting his hand. Hand… Dave finally got the nerve to roll over to his belly and look around. This… This was the kitchen. He was over the sink… Watching as Balthazar reached for the tap, Dave watched, unable to understand what the man was doing as he opened the faucet and tested the water with his free fingers. Dave watched the water falling from the metal pipe, his mind slow and groggy from his astounding experience. As the water grew closer, he rolled to his back and looked up at Balthazar. The man was focused on something else and not looking at him. Dave kept watching him, however, stunned by how… LARGE the man was. He was bigger than Dave had ever heard of giants being. The giants in the fairytales had been like… maybe only 10 times bigger than a person. Right now, Balthazar had to be nearly double that amount! Dave's gaze drifted down to the man's throat and then to his chest and he shivered slightly. He had… been **_inside_** of there. He had been in there and out of sight of the world. He hugged himself, shaking. That was a weird thought.

The icy chill of the water shocked Dave and he let out a rather girly squeal as he flailed to get away from it, but the fingers around him held him firmly and gently and Balthazar's voice was amused. "Easy, Dave, just giving you a bath…"

Dave continued to protest loudly at the water, which was icy cold and making him cough. But as Balthazar adjusted the tap, Dave started to relax, letting himself sit in the man's hands quietly as the now pleasantly warm water soaked him right through, cleaning him of the slime and goo he had been coated in all night long. It was like sitting under a waterfall… When Balthazar opened his hands and offered Dave some hand soap on his free fingertip, Dave sighed and started to strip down to his boxers, taking the soap and then scrubbing himself furiously as Balthazar rinsed his clothes in a small cup on the side, even his now-minuscule pointy shoes.

Once that was over, Balthazar dried him off with a combination of towel rubbing and some magic and then gave him back his clothes, also dry as well. When Dave had redressed, Balthazar gently tucked him into his breast pocket and took him back to the lab and walked into the Circle. Standing, Dave was just able to get his arms over the rim of the pocket and he was able to look out at the huge world. It was very humbling to know that the tiniest jolt from his tesla coils could probably kill him now, fry him to a crisp. It scared him…

At a burst of sudden heat, Dave looked down to see the green fire swirl around his Master's feet and he shivered as he was brought back out. He lay in Balthazar's palm, shaking a bit as he tried to imagine what would happen now.

His Master frowned at seeing this, saying, "What are you so scared of?"

Biting his lip, Dave finally sighed and answered as he hugged himself, "E-Everything…"

Balthazar seemed surprised at this answer and Dave was then surprised as the man gently stroked his back with two fingers, saying with a rather toothy smile, "Well, not for long."

Opening his mouth to ask what this meant, Dave was quiet as Balthazar kneeled, the green flames lowering to bare 'coals' as he put Dave on the floor, instructing him to lie down. Dave did so, glad that the stone was so warm under his back. It helped him to feel a little bit better.

When the large hand covered his body, Dave sighed and shut his eyes, shivering. He then frowned in confusion as he felt Balthazar messing with his feet like he was trying to tug his shoes off! Opening an eye, Dave watched as Balthazar seemed to lift a shadowy, see-through copy of his feet… right out of his feet! Eyes wide, Dave watched as the ghost-feet were brought closer to his face and then he suddenly shut his eyes, not wanting to see anymore. He felt Balthazar touch his head lightly and Dave felt the stone floor shift under him. Though curious, Dave was more scared than anything and kept his eyes firmly shut as he felt his body… start to unfold.

His lungs felt so WEIRD! It felt as though he were short of breath, but every time he felt Balthazar's fingers brush his head, his lungs kind of ' **popped** ' open and he could only gasp as the vacuum inside his body demanded more air. The same thing happened with his heart, with the difference that it would seem to beat more strongly with every unfolding. In comparison to earlier, it was like his heart had been barely beating! And even then, had been beating SUPER fast! He could feel his heart slowing down, not in a 'dying' way, but more like slowing after you've been exercising for a while, slowing into a more stable and relaxed rhythm.

There was one final ' **pop** ' from his body and Dave gasped in the required air, felt his heart thump and just lay there, eyes still closed, hoping that everything was finally OVER.

"Okay, Dave… Nice and easy."

When Balthazar's voice reached only his ears and not his mind this time, Dave knew that things were back to normal. But when he interpreted the words, Dave moaned and lay still, whining quietly, "No… Nonono, I just want to lie here. Please. It's solid and not magical…"

Balthazar's voice was annoyed and yet amused. "You're in the middle of the Merlin's Circle. The very floor is magical."

As he felt a hand on his arm, Dave opened one eye a crack. It was Balthazar, all right, and he was normal-sized. They both were! Sighing in submission, Dave opened his eyes and took his Master's offered hand, standing up weakly, his legs all shaky. As he leaned on Balthazar to get his center of balance again he could only pant softly, his mind so very exhausted. After a time, he stood up on his own, glad to see that he was once again taller than his Master. Things were back to normal…

He gave Balthazar a shaky smile, saying in astonishment, "I think that had to be the craziest thin-"

"Get your padding on. We're going to practice more with the plasma bolts." Balthazar said suddenly, like his apprentice had never spoken. When Dave only stared at him in shock, Balthazar then added with a smile, "But let's get something to eat first. I'm starving."

Dave couldn't help but smile as he went and got his baseball padding, putting the mask over the back of a chair and following Balthazar.

Things were back to normal, all right.

For the next few days, things passed normally between them, with tough lessons and training. While Dave would groan and drag his feet during the demanding lessons, inwardly he was thrilled at what he was learning. Balthazar's teachings were harsh and snappy, but very effective. Dave found himself wanting to make his Master proud, though he couldn't explain why.

Or perhaps it was a residual fear of what the man would do if Dave proved to be troublesome. Dave knew that Balthazar wouldn't HURT him, but he had been very frightened and while he had managed to kind of like it at the end, he still didn't want a repeat.

One night after a particularly hard lesson, as Dave lay panting on the nearby cot from an exam of conjuring up several plasma bolts at once and controlling them, Balthazar stood nearby, sipping his tea calmly. "Get up." he said suddenly.

Dave didn't bother to disguise his groan. "Ohhh… Balthazar, what for?" he whined, opening an eye to look at the man tiredly.

Finishing his tea, Balthazar went to the Encantus and started to compact it, saying, "Because I want you to shower."

Dave felt a slight shiver as he saw this. Seeing this process done, even though it wasn't to him, made his insides squirm a bit. He shook his head to clear his mind of those thoughts and instead frowned, asking, "What? Why?" Why should he have to shower? He wasn't smelly!

Pocketing the now-tiny book, Balthazar then said matter-of-factly, "I'm taking you out to dinner."

"Huh?" Dave stared blankly. He hadn't expected THAT as an answer!

The sorcerer raised an eyebrow quizzically. "You saying you don't WANT a reward for passing your exam?"

Dave stared at him blankly for a moment before the meaning of the words clicked. "Oh… Oh!" He HAD passed! He felt a thrill of pride as well as satisfaction and he sat up quickly, stuttering out gratefully, "Oh, wow… Thanks… I-"

"SHOWER." Balthazar snapped, though without venom.

"Yes, sir." Dave quickly ran off to the shower, smiling hugely to himself.

As he scrubbed his hair, Dave grinned. Due to his status as a student and his tesla coil project and having a roommate AND Balthazar to feed, he didn't exactly have the money to allow himself much high-quality food. He wasn't starving by any means, but the idea of a good, full meal that WASN'T from a fast food place sounded WONDERFUL.

Balthazar was waiting quietly down in the lab, reading one of his various scrolls when Dave reappeared, ruffling his hair to help it dry. Curious, Dave came over and peered over Balthazar's shoulder, seeing it as a schematic for transforming objects from one thing to another. He stared at it, something clicking in his mind. He opened his mouth to speak.

"No, alchemy is NOT possible." Balthazar said in a rather bored tone as he traced a line of the schematic.

Dave tried to speak again.

"Metal can't be turned into gold. The density is all wrong, no matter how well you can manipulate matter."

Giving up, Dave sat on the edge of the table, watching Balthazar for a while. After a few minutes had passed and Balthazar made no sign of moving, he coughed slightly. "Uhhhh…" Balthazar looked up at him curiously. "Dinner?" he asked meekly.

Blinking like he had suddenly remembered this, Balthazar gave Dave a rare smile and nodded, getting up. "Indeed. Come on."

They passed the evening at a decent little buffet restaurant where Dave was told he could eat his fill. Thrilled, he did as told but still didn't equal the amount Balthazar was able to get down. He stared at him as the man brought back his 5th plate. "Wow… You ever thought of going for those eating contests?" The man didn't even look slightly different! Where was he PUTTING it all?!

Balthazar didn't look at him but just started on his corn cob. "Very funny, Dave. Wipe your chin, you've got sauce dripping."

Wiping his chin, Dave couldn't help but smile despite the man's comment. Things were all right… He had done a great day of training, had made his Master happy, and was now enjoying a wonderful dinner.

Right now… Life was good.

He went right to bed when he got back to the lab, sleeping on the spare cot while Balthazar slept in the lab, as per normal. He slept deeply and happily for a long time, his dreams pleasant.

Dave frowned, blinking when he felt his shoulder being shaken. He blinked and murmured groggily, " _Huwhat?_ "

"Time to get up." It was Balthazar and as his vision came into focus, he saw the man was dressed in his normal clothes.

Frowning, Dave checked his watch. As Balthazar moved away, he then said with a whine, "But… But Balthazar…"

"Yes, it's 7 am." his Master interrupted. "Now UP."

Dave let his head flop back down with a loud groan, but started to roll out of the cot. Once in the past, he had tried to ignore Balthazar, but then his sheets and cot had come alive, tipping him to the floor and then running away from him, Balthazar smiling in the doorway watching the whole mess, his ring glowing that golden yellow.

As his apprentice yawned hugely and scratched at his side, Balthazar laughed and left the room, saying aloud, "I swear, if I wasn't here to wake you, you'd sleep all DAY!"

Dave blinked as he got an idea suddenly.

Then he started to smile.

* * *

 _A slightly shorter chapter, but things will get really good in the 4th one. Stay tuned!_


	4. Chapter 4

Though he complained, Dave went through with the training well that day, but that night, when Balthazar went to sleep, Dave snuck into the lab and grabbed the Encantus. He then created a small flame, lit a candle and started to search the book, checking page after page. Soon, he found the pages he wanted; the compacting spell, the acid protection and the spell of creating air. He smiled and made a few notes and then put the book away and went back to bed, too tired to try anything that night.

The next day, however, when Balthazar left for shopping, Dave started to practice with the compacting spell. He tried it on something simple at first: a dictionary. He didn't want to try the Encantus first in case he couldn't UNDO the spell. He worked hard, but finally managed to compress and fold the molecules, shivering slightly in remembrance. But he shook his head, clearing his mind and continued. His first few tries weren't very good. While he DID manage to get the book down to the right, tiny size, it still WEIGHED the same and he was left with a book the size of a postage stamp that still weighed a huge amount. Sighing, he tried again and again.

It took his scientific brain a while to understand the 'disappearance' of the extra matter, since he had always been told that matter could neither be created nor destroyed, but once he had allowed the magic to take equal part in his mind, the spell became simple and easy. Delighted, Dave went to his junk-closet and started to practice the spell, finding with glee he could shrink ANYTHING! He went a bit overboard and then stared in shock at seeing the wooden floor of the space for the first time in YEARS!

"Dave?"

Jumping, Dave slammed the closet door shut and leaned back on it, stammering as Balthazar stared at him, "I-I-I… was just… cleaning." he managed finally, praying Balthazar didn't ask to see. While he was thrilled to have gotten this spell down, if Balthazar saw it, he would quickly realize what Dave was up to and… protect himself or something magical like that.

While the sorcerer stared at him, arms laden with bags, he only snapped, "That's very nice, but stop it and help me. I have more bags in the car."

Dave eagerly went; glad to have avoided this near discovery.

The next few spells were tricky. He had gone with the 'providing air' spell next, and found that he was able to easily test that one. After reciting the spell, Dave felt the pressure inside, making him feel like he had to burp. He tried to figure out where the air CAME from and finally went with the notion that it was either his own magic transforming into air, or it was his own extra oxygen being sucked out of his bloodstream and put into his stomach.

The acid protection one had been tougher. Not wanting to test it on anything alive, Dave had thought of a simple solution: he had gone out and bought himself some candy, gummy candy especially. That stuff would break apart when you just sucked on it, so if he could manage to protect the candy, he could protect anything! He found that the spell manifested itself as a warm glow on his palm and when he held the item to be protected, the light would vanish instantly, but he could sense the magic keeping the item safe.

Not trusting his body enough just yet, Dave snuck into one of the school labs and poured a small amount of potent hydrochloric acid into a beaker and dropped the gummy worm inside, stirring and agitating the liquid to mimic what would happen inside. But even though he played with it for an hour, the gummy worm wasn't melting in the slightest! Thrilled, Dave tried the spell again, but this time he ate the gummy himself, checking with his magic from time to time. But at the end of the day, the gummy was still perfectly fine and protected.

Grinning broadly at this success, Dave then realized he had overlooked an important skill: he was having trouble bringing back the swallowed gummies on cue. It took a few tries, but Dave eventually learned how to squeeze his stomach just right to expel the item inside, though it certainly didn't taste very good as some residual acids were brought up as well.

One day to really test himself, Dave had gotten the idea to eat a whole bag full of gummy worms and then had allowed himself to eat lunch. Checking with his magic, he felt a swell of pride that the gummies were fine while his lunch was digesting normally. Oh, he had this DOWN!

That night, Dave went to go to his bedroom to have some privacy to get the gummies back out. His stomach felt a bit sick from all that sugar inside, even though he wasn't digesting it. The weight felt heavy and unnatural to him and he would be glad to get them out. Idly as he climbed the steps to the loft above the lab, he wondered if the acid protection spell could only be removed if the subject was at hand, or if it could be dispelled whenever the sorcerer wished? Deciding he would try this later, Dave paused when he was intercepted by Balthazar, calling him back down for another training session.

Dave bit his lip, asking nervously, "Um… Now?" He could feel the weight of the gummies inside and he didn't want to exert himself and be sick or something!

"Yes, NOW." Balthazar said. But then the man looked at him closely. "Why? Are you busy?" he asked with an innocent tone, but Dave thought he picked up a suspicious note.

"Uh, no!" he said quickly, forcing a smile. "No, of course not!" He then grinned crookedly, asking, "What could I be busy with?"

This seemed to please Balthazar and he said, "Good." He turned on his heel, snapping, "March."

Dave marched and did the training and afterwards, all but ran upstairs, quickly expelling the candy, his stomach protesting at the unnatural weight kept inside for so long. However, even though he felt sick to his core and so very unhappy with that horrible sour taste in his mouth, Dave smiled weakly at seeing the gummies were STILL in good shape.

He was getting the hang of this!

One night after training, Dave was practicing creating tiny plasma bolts, hardly the size of static-shocks, thinking things over as Balthazar read next to him, watching him and offering advice and instructing him from time to time.

As he worked to control a particularly jittery one, Dave thought about the risky plot he was planning. Was it even a good idea? Balthazar would probably be FURIOUS and who KNEW what the man would do to him once he was back to normal! But than again… perhaps his Master would… well, not enjoy it, obviously, but be proud of his apprentice for taking such a step all by himself and not asking for help? And what would it feel like? It was one thing to perform these spells on gummies and dictionaries... But to do it to a human being? Dave had to admit he was nervous about it and how it would tur-

Dave let out a surprised shout as the plasma bolt escaped from his distracted hands, zipping through the air. He leapt after it, but fell flat on his face.

He looked up at a buzzing noise and saw that Balthazar had managed to catch it for him. The man was reading like nothing had happened and had caught the tiny plasma bolt between two fingers. He then held out his hand, saying in a bored tone, "Focus, Dave." As his apprentice gingerly took back the little bolt, it exploded in his hands and Dave yelped as he got an electric shock. Balthazar then looked at him again, saying with a mild expression, "Are you even trying?"

"Yes I am!" Dave defended. He then focused and created another plasma bolt easily, and showed it to his Master, saying, "See? I can focus!"

Balthazar stared at the perfectly created sphere of energy and then said, "Make another."

Dave blinked, but then groaned and started the difficult process of creating another sphere and then three more as his Master commanded, able to control them to a slight degree. Balthazar nodded slightly and went back to his book. When the plasma bolts escaped, he didn't even look up, not even blinking as one zipped past his ear.

"Try again… **Six** , this time."

That night as he lay on his bed, staring ahead into the darkness, Dave made up his mind. He would do it. Balthazar might be mad at him for it, but he would do it. He had tested himself on the spells over and over again and he was going to PROVE to his Master that he was able to perform complicated spells! That would HAVE to make the man proud of him!

He wasn't angry or bitter at Balthazar; he just wanted the man to acknowledge his success. And what better way that shoving in his FACE that he could do a spell that the man hadn't taught him? Smiling to himself, Dave rolled over and slept.

Dave had to wait another week before he could do anything for his plan however. He wanted to have an excuse to be alone for a long while. The next time Balthazar went shopping seemed perfect. As the man headed out the door, Dave leaned over the stair rail, calling up, "Hey, Balthazar?"

The man paused at the door, looking down at him. "Yes?"

Dave inhaled, nervous. He then shifted and said with a grin, "Um… Don't… pick up anything readymade. For dinner, I mean."

Balthazar looked confused. "And why not?"

"I… want to cook." the young apprentice explained, grinning nervously.

Balthazar looked surprised. "You can cook?" he asked.

Dave didn't blame the man for his question. Dave had either made them ramen noodles or had bought them food from sandwich shops in the time they had known each other. He shrugged his shoulders, pursing his lips a bit. "Passably."

The sorcerer chuckled and for a second Dave's heart leapt, thinking he had been found out somehow, that his trick had been discovered. But he soon relaxed when Balthazar only turned from him, saying, "All right." and then shut the door behind him as he left.

Smiling, Dave watched the man leave and then did a little victory dance, pumping his fist as he dashed off to the kitchen to start cooking.

As he put a simple meal together, spaghetti, meatballs and some tomato sauce and cheese, Dave kept the Encantus close at hand, peering at it from time to time. He felt nervous, but very excited. He did not like the idea of deceiving his Master, but he knew that if he tried to start the shrinking spell while the sorcerer was awake and conscious, Dave would SEVERELY regret it. So, what he planned to do was to enchant his Master's food with a very simple sleeping spell, something that would knock the man out for half an hour, at the most.

His hands were shaking as he stirred the pasta, his mind whirring. Was this worth the risk? Was it worth incurring the [ _quite likely_ ] wrath of a powerful sorcerer who was over a millennia old? He had never really seen the sorcerer MAD at him before, but if the man thought it was fair to scare his apprentice to death over an easily-fixed coat, what would he do if his apprentice shrank him? Let alone ate him?

But as Dave ducked and cracked open the oven to check on the meatballs, he grinned shakily. Balthazar _was_ always telling him to push himself, to try new things and to expand his horizons and experience. Well, this would certainly count, wouldn't it?

Dave had just finished putting Encantus away and the food on the table when Balthazar came home. The food was simple, but it was well-cooked and there was PLENTY of it. Still, Dave didn't think there would be any leftovers.

Looking up in surprise at the door slamming shut, he smiled as he saw Balthazar carrying some plastic and paper bags down the steps. "Oh, you're back." Dave said, smiling. He then stared as Balthazar's arms dropped to his sides and he started to undo his coat, but the bags remained suspended in the air. As the bags then floated, seemingly of their own accord, into the kitchen as Balthazar sat down at the table, Dave couldn't help but mutter, "Show-off…"

As they ate, Balthazar spoke to Dave about what they would be working on tomorrow, pointing his fork at him for emphasis. "I've noticed you're very shaky on your control when it comes to multiple levitation spells, so after dinner, we're going to start working on that."

Though he nodded obediently, Dave could barely hide his grin. He wouldn't be doing ANY spells tonight, not after he had safely tucked his Master away for the night!

When they had finished eating, Dave stared in amazement. For the two of them, he had cooked well over three pounds of spaghetti, two cans of spaghetti sauce and nearly two dozen meatballs, and yet, all that was left now was just 4 meatballs and a handful of spaghetti, the sauce having been all used up. He chuckled, still amazed by the whole thing, though Balthazar still told him quite regularly that he should be eating more to help to support and power his magic.

When Balthazar started to get up to leave, Dave quickly told him to sit tight and ducked into the kitchen and out of sight. There, he took out some ice cream from the freezer and served them each a decent bowlful. Then, his heart racing, Dave closed his eyes and focused on Balthazar's bowl, murmuring the words softly that he had memorized and practiced over and over again. His ring glowed a soft, emerald green as he felt his body grow warm inside.

But then the feeling passed and Dave was left looking at the innocent and harmless ice cream. Shaking, he took a few mouthfuls from his own bowl, and then brought out both bowls. Balthazar nearly destroyed the whole game by reaching for Dave's bowl, but when he saw the missing spoonfuls, he took the other one instead and started to eat, thanking Dave for the meal, but also mentioning that the meatballs had been slightly overcooked.

Dave took the combined praise and insult in stride and nodded, muttering, "Looks like I had better be a good sorcerer, since chef doesn't appear to be a good career choice…" Chuckling as he licked the spoon, Balthazar nodded.

They ate quietly for a time and Dave was frightened that Balthazar could hear how hard and fast his heart was beating. Every glance the man seemed to give him was something suspicious and knowing, though Dave had to keep telling himself it was just his paranoid imagination. The man only ate quietly, leaning back in the chair and seeming completely at ease.

Dave ate more slowly, watching Balthazar closely. It took about 10 minutes, but the man was starting to nod off, his eyes closing and yawning. Balthazar then laid his head on the table and within seconds, was asleep.

"Oh thank GOD!" Dave muttered. That had gone off without a HITCH! Oh, this was PERFECT!

Coming forwards, he gently touched the man's shoulder.

No response.

He reached under and gave Balthazar's side a sharp jab with a finger, leaping out of the way, just in case.

Nothing.

Grinning foolishly, Dave came over and gently made his Master sit upright, leaning him back in the chair. The man's body slouched and was limp in his hands, but didn't fall off the chair. Shaking, his breathing quick and excited, Dave forced himself to focus and calm himself. He kneeled beside Balthazar and grabbed the man's arm, starting to bend and unbend it gently, letting the first stage of the compacting spell take effect. He was essentially 'softening' the molecules of the man and after just a few moments, he grinned in delight as he was able to fold the man's arm up like a long-sleeved shirt!

Working slowly, Dave worked his way over the rest of his Master's body, his eyes closing of their own accord as he worked, his hands moving smoothly by themselves as the magic took over and helped him. As he opened his eyes a crack, he noticed something interesting. While he could feel he was 'folding' his Master like paper, Balthazar looked no different, except for being smaller. Testing, Dave bent up a leg, but the instant the heel of the foot touched the man's knee, it… _merged_ until it looked like the leg was only half as long as before!

Dave stared at this, confused and intrigued. Was that how it REALLY looked? Or was it the only way his poor, confused brain could interpret this magical act?

Closing his eyes again, Dave let the warmth of the magic guide him and before long, he sat on the floor, panting hard as he stared at a tiny, three-inch tall Balthazar lying on the chair he had been slouching in.

Licking his lips hesitantly, Dave reached for the tiny man, but then paused. Had he forgotten to do something? Oh! Of course! Closing his eyes again, Dave hovered his hand over the man's tiny form and spoke a few careful words, his ring pulsing, making his face turn green from time to time. Dave opened his eyes a crack and stared. From his palm came a… Well, it looked like a sheet of golden paper, but it was glowing and floating near to his palm, refusing to fall even though his hand was palm-side down.

He smiled, the sight familiar from his earlier tests. He lowered his hand to be RIGHT above Balthazar and with a soft murmur, lowered his hand to be BARELY touching the tiny man. The glow vanished and Dave withdrew his hand, smiling as his magic verified for him that Balthazar was now safe from acids.

Nervously, Dave then cast the next spell, touching his own chest and murmuring softly the words, drawing on the warm magic inside of him. He winced as he felt his belly twinge in protest at the sudden air, but he sighed and relaxed. Okay… he was all set.

Physically anyway. But _mentally_?

…Not so much.

As he looked at the tiny man, Dave found his hands shaking worse than ever. One part of him told him to abandon the whole project. He could try again later! Another part told him to just grab Balthazar and swallow him down right away, so that it was done. And yet another part told him that he should wait for Balthazar to wake up.

After biting his lip until he felt he would draw blood, Dave finally made his decision and stretched out his hand. Hesitantly, he flexed his fingers and then gingerly left his fingertip rest on Balthazar's chest, feeling the man breath and feeling his warmth… It was a very slight warmth, like touching a chair after someone had leaned on it. He could feel the fabric of the man's clothes under his fingertip and Dave rubbed slightly, stunned by how delicate and sensitive his fingers were. He had never realized before…

Inhaling to steady himself, Dave gently pinched the tiny man's chest, lifting him into the air. Balthazar was like a bit of wet rope and Dave was quick to add his second hand under him to catch him and keep the man from drooping like a ragdoll. Gently cradling his Master in his palm, Dave looked closely at the little man, his heart thundering in his chest.

Everything about him was PERFECT, right down to the teeny, tiny buttons on his waist coat. He could even see the man's ring, clear and golden as always. Cupping his hand, he settled Balthazar into a gentler curve and with his free hand, gently caressed the man's chest and belly, stunned that he could feel the difference of the bones and soft area of his gut. He kept rubbing gently, the way one would pet a hamster, frightened he might go too hard and BREAK the tiny sorcerer. Growing more confident, Dave whispered, "Balthazar?" But the man was completely out and after checking the clock, Dave saw why; it had only been ten minutes! He had plenty of time!

Smiling, Dave stood up carefully, feeling like he was walking on eggs as he worked to keep the transit smooth. He got over to his cot and sat on it, smiling as he leaned in close, staring at Balthazar, stunned he had even DONE this! This was insane and crazy and yet he had DONE it! He had taken control and had taught himself new spells, had practiced them and had pretty much mastered them! By himself!

Feeling a great swell of pride, Dave debated taking a picture of himself to celebrate this victory. After a few seconds of pondering, he grinned stupidly as he gave in and getting up, very gingerly walked to his desk and grabbed his digital camera. Fiddling with the settings with one hand, he held it at an arm's reach and took the picture, smiling hugely and shaking slightly.

Putting his camera away behind him on the cot, Dave then looked down at the tiny man. Well, he had to make a choice. Time was running out! Should he wait the few minutes for Balthazar to wake up, or should he go ahead and gulp him down and give him a surprising place to wake up?

After biting his lip again, Dave finally straightened up and lifted his hand. He then realized he had NO idea how to do this! Headfirst, like snakes, or feet first or… what? And would those clothes scratch him if he swallowed the man down the wrong way? Dave then gently pinched Balthazar's chest again and lifted the man into the air, letting his legs dangle. While Dave felt a little bad about tricking his Master like this, he smiled as he hesitantly opened his mouth and lowered the little legs inside.

He felt them hit his tongue and he chuckled at the weight and feeling of them. That… kind of tickled! Reassured and more eager now, Dave gently lowered Balthazar completely inside, leveling his head as he removed his fingers, shaking as he felt the weight of the little man as he lay completely in his mouth. Closing his teeth carefully, Dave sat on the cot for a time, shivering, feeling it as Balthazar BREATHED in his mouth. It was amazing!

Impulsively, Dave brought up his wrist and saw that his time was growing thin. If he wanted to do this before Balthazar woke up, he'd have to stop wasting time. With a shiver, Dave then tipped his head back gently, startled as he felt Balthazar's limp weight slide backwards so easily and perfectly, and Dave found that though he was prompted to swallow, it didn't feel as unnatural as he had feared! It felt like he was MADE for this! It was very easy and natural-feeling for him to swallow, but then he got a bit of a surprise; Balthazar could fit in his throat, but he stretched it out a little bit. That felt odd! Dave frowned slightly and swallowed again, shaking as he could FEEL the pressure of the man going down. It kind of hurt, but in a good way… The only thing he could compare it too was taking a hunk of food and swallowing it without chewing it enough. It could fit, yes, but you sure felt it as your body struggled to shove it down.

As he sat there, Dave found himself hugging his middle firmly, shivering a bit. It felt… different than he had thought. He found that it was one thing to try and force down a too-big mouthful, but another thing entirely to swallow down a shrunken man. His throat was strained, but he could… FEEL that Balthazar was alive. It was not a sensation he had ever felt before and he struggled to understand it. It felt oddly warm, but not in a temperature sense. Also, when he sat very still and focused on it, he was able to feel the tiny chest moving as his Master breathed. Oh wow… He could only imagine what it felt like for Balthazar earlier, when Dave had been struggling like crazy. How did that feel inside? Did it hurt or scratch? Or did it just feel funny?

Gulping again, Dave found he was able to relax a little bit, leaning on one hand and his other lowering down to his thin stomach, pressing inwardly curiously. He wondered how it would feel… He had had a hint of it earlier, when Balthazar had linked them, but how would it feel when Dave wasn't the one moving around? How would it feel when Balthazar moved by himself, in a way that Dave wasn't able to predict?

As he rested his hand over his stomach, Dave realized once again how very THIN he was. He really had no muscles to speak of. If Balthazar started to push at him, he should be able to feel it easily. Rubbing his fingertips gently on his shirt, Dave smiled. He wasn't going to hurt Balthazar of course, and that helped him feel better about tricking him. He was going to eat the man, yes, but he would be completely safe. Dave had gone out of his way to make things safe for his Master and he would continue to do so. He let his eyes drift shut as he swallowed again, feeling the little lump slip down so easily, deeper into his chest. This felt so nice…

Dave felt warm and happy and leaned back on the cot more heavily, pressing in at his belly experimentally, feeling the strain as Balthazar got closer. He shivered at that thought, grinning foolishly at the idea that he had WON tonight. There would be no painful trainings, no tiring practice, no mind-numbing repetition of various spells tonight. He would reassure his Master once he woke up and then go to sleep after a good, successful day.

Shaking hard, Dave inhaled as he was prompted to swallow one last time and he felt the tiny form of his Master slip into his belly. His hand was now very still over his stomach as he FELT the weight of the tiny man. He had no idea his stomach could even SENSE that slight a change of detail! It suddenly occurred to Dave that he had forgotten all about having dinner and it was probably kind of messy inside. Though he felt a bit bad for that, Dave's thoughts were soon drawn to the warmth of the tiny figure, another thing he had no idea he could feel. This was amazing!

Grinning, Dave leaned back more, his hand on the cot bumping something. Looking, he saw his camera and he grinned, grabbing it. His hand still over his belly, Dave turned it on and started to flick back through the pictures, wanting physical proof of what he'd done. As he flicked through the earlier photos, he chuckled, wondering if he should have taken a series of pictures. He got to the desired one and he chuckled at how TINY Balthazar looked in his hand! So tiny and cute with his little scowl and miniaturized clothes and-

Dave's heart skipped a beat and he looked harder at the picture, holding the camera with both hands and bringing it in close, until it nearly touched his nose, his heart starting to double-time instead.

In the picture, unknown to Dave, Balthazar was lying in his hand, **WIDE AWAKE** and looking _VERY_ cross.

"Oh _Daaaaaavvve_?" The singsong voice echoed in his head in the same manner as before. The voice of his Master, Balthazar Blake.

Dave whimpered. "Oh man…"


	5. Chapter 5

Balthazar coughed as he wiped some slime from his face, looking around him. Grudgingly, he had to admit he was impressed. He didn't think Dave would have the nerve to actually go THROUGH with this test of his! He had thought he might chicken out at least half a dozen times before getting to this stage.

The sorcerer had known exactly what his apprentice had been up to ever since the idea had first entered the young man's head. While Balthazar could not read minds, he had seen the glint in Dave's eye when the idea had come to him. Subtly, Balthazar had kept tabs on him and his progress. He had been impressed to find the closet full of miniaturized junk before Dave had come back later ' _when he wasn't looking_ ' and resized everything perfectly.

He had also recognized the apprentice's strained face when he had been testing the acid-protection and providing of air spells, having worn the same face himself when he himself had first started to test the spells. Balthazar had to admit, though, the introduction of the sleeping spell had been a clever addition and a good idea. However, Balthazar wouldn't still be alive if he hadn't learned long ago how to detect and defend himself against spells like that. So after subtly casting a counterspell, he had just played along, wanting to see just how far Dave would take this.

Grimacing as some melting spaghetti slopped over his shoes, Balthazar kicked irritably, and then punched the wall, glad to feel Dave flinch, obviously not expecting to have felt that so much. While he was proud of his apprentice, he knew if he didn't talk to Dave about this, his apprentice might get it into his head that he could work through **any** spell on his own without help and that would eventually lead to disaster!

Balthazar then said clearly and calmly, "Dave… You have **THREE SECONDS** to get me out." Idly, he wondered how far the apprentice would test his luck.

Feeling Dave shift around him, the apprentice then answered in what was clearly a nervous tone, "Uhh… N-No… Not… Not tonight." The heartbeats above him were much faster than before now and they seemed very, very tense.

Balthazar smiled, but his voice was angry. "You had better rephrase your statement."

There was pressure against one of the walls and Balthazar realized that Dave was pressing on his stomach, trying to ' _get his point across_ ' on who was the boss in this particular situation. "No… Balthazar, I… I want to just sleep tonight."

The sorcerer had to work hard not to laugh. It seemed his meek little apprentice had more backbone than he had given him credit for! He then tried once more, snapping quietly, "Dave, you know we have a lot of training to do. This is no time for games and fooling around. Now let me **OUT**."

"I know about that, about the training and magic and stuff…" Dave answered, his voice a bit strained and rushed. There was a pause and the young man said quietly, "But not tonight… Tonight… you…" After an inhale that Balthazar heard whooshing in the lungs somewhere above him, Dave said clearly and as firmly as he could, "Tonight **you're** not the boss. **I** am." He felt a prod from the wall. "I say it's an early bedtime without a 7 am wakeup call."

Balthazar's green eyes glittered. "Is that so?" he asked softly, starting to fiddle with his ring.

There was a pause, probably his apprentice being intimidated, but then Dave seemed to recall their relative positions and he answered with a stubborn tone, "Yeah. Yeah, that IS so."

Dave sat still as a stone, his hand shaking as he hovered it over his belly, trying to imagine the revenge plots swirling through the sorcerer's mind. He had been right… Balthazar was NOT happy! Ooooh, this hadn't been a good idea! But he had already completed the task, so despite how angry Balthazar was currently, and how mad he was going to be later in the evening, Dave knew he would have to ride it out. Maybe after he could coax the man to sleep, he would be less likely to tear him limb from limb tomorrow morning?

But after a moment of quiet, Balthazar's weight shifted and he heard a soft, "All right, Dave."

"Huh?" Dave frowned. Was this a trick? Balthazar was… okay with him? He wasn't cross or angry? Dave smelled a trick, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "You're-You're not… upset?"

Instead of an answer, Balthazar started to move and walk around, making Dave bite his lip in delight. Ohhh… It felt like the little man was stepping on his nerves, tingling them. He grinned and subtly caressed his belly with his fingertips, scared that if he rubbed, Balthazar would stop. Oh, this felt SO much better when it wasn't HIM causing the movements! Now that the movements were new and unknown, he found he could enjoy it even more, making him shiver right down into his core. He wanted to ask Balthazar to rub at him, to knead into his back and see how it felt. He wanted to feel the little man lie down inside, wanted to feel him walk around some more, wanted to just enjoy these sensations for as long as he could!

"Do you mind if I get comfortable?"

Balthazar's curious and mild question caught Dave off-guard and he blinked as the words got through to him. "Uh… sure." He said, starting to smile. It seemed that he had thought too harshly of his Master! Balthazar was sore at the trick [ _which Dave didn't blame him for_ ] but was still impressed with his apprentice's skills! He knew he would be scolded later like no tomorrow, but it didn't seem that Balthazar was actually ANGRY with him anymore. Smiling and starting to relax a bit more, Dave added, feeling generous, "Yeah, that's fine. Go ahe-"

His eyes snapped open as Dave felt the **_WEIRDEST_** sensation inside, making him whimper in shock and confusion.

Balthazar sighed in relief as he wiped his hands on the walls, wiping away the last traces of the young man's dinner. Having found the partially digested food to be a bit too messy for his taste, Balthazar had performed a simple spell and had evaporated the food, leaving the apprentice's belly nice and empty and clean, though it was still wet of course.

He smiled and lay on the floor for a moment, feeling Dave starting to FREAK at the feeling of such sudden emptiness inside and Balthazar chuckled as he heard the heart above him thumping nervously. He then relaxed for a few moments and then sat up. "Now, Dave…"

"What did you **DO**?!" came the instant, panicked and rather high-pitched question.

Continuing as if Dave hadn't spoke, Balthazar adjusted his sleeves, saying, "You're going to go into the Merlin Circle and we're going to practice power transfer exercises."

The flesh tightened and stiffened around him as he heard Dave ask in shock, " _WHAT?!_ " The wall was prodded inwards again, knocking Balthazar off-balance, causing him to splash into a puddle of acids. Looking up curiously as slime and acids trickled harmlessly down his back, Balthazar raised an eyebrow as Dave spoke with a panicked tone, "NO! No way! **I'm** in charge!" He sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than the tiny sorcerer, which Balthazar found to be highly amusing. He got up and tried to walk back to where he had been, but the wall was prodded again and Balthazar was knocked back into the sloppy puddle. "Now what did you just  DO to me?!"

His patience thinning ever so slightly, the sorcerer only wiped his face clean and exhaling slowly. He was not mad at Dave for this, but rather had been hoping for it. By goading and scaring the young apprentice, he had eventually caused him to try and master new spells all on his own, which was exactly what Balthazar wanted. Though… those prods WERE getting to be a bit irritating. He sat up again, wiping his ring clean as he said firmly, "Dave… Training."

"No training! **_EXPLAINING!_** " came the apprentice's confused and frightened demand. When Balthazar didn't reply, Dave finally made the connection and he asked in utter surprise, "You used _MAGIC_ in me?"

Seeing how utterly confused, startled and frightened Dave seemed about all this, Balthazar realized that this might take some time. The sorcerer then leaned back comfortably on one of the backmost walls, wriggling into the softness and making himself comfortable as he felt Dave shudder around him. "If you MUST pursue the issue; yes. I did." he replied easily, scratching his neck.

"You can use MAGIC?!" Dave asked incredulously.

"Of course." Balthazar replied.

"When you're that tiny?!" Dave persisted.

Though he knew already where this was heading, Balthazar only answered simply, "Yes."

"Then why couldn't **I**?!" Dave whined, the flesh firming up as the young man clenched his stomach.

"You could have." Balthazar said mildly.

Dave flustered at this answer for a moment. "But then why…" He went still, and Balthazar nearly chuckled as he heard the tone in the young man's voice. "Oh, oh right, of course." The stomach tightened around him as Dave mimicked his voice, snapping, "' _Clear your mind_ ', RIGHT?!"

"Right." Balthazar answered, not wriggling in the slightest as he was squashed firmly between the soft, warm walls of flesh, denying his apprentice that sensation. When Dave released the pressure in astonishment, Balthazar then straightened his shirt and said in a business-like tone, "Now, get to the Circle."

"No." Dave said in reply, not moving though the flesh was still a bit tense around him.

Balthazar frowned. Now Dave was pushing it. They had to train and while Dave had had his fun, it was time for serious matters. He wasn't planning on training his apprentice very hard tonight; just a few transfer spells to teach him how to draw on another sorcerer's magic should the occasion arise. It was a useful thing to know and this was the perfect situation in which to learn! He would even stay inside for the night for his apprentice, just to let him enjoy himself and to show his overall approval.

But Dave _did_ have to realize who was the Master and who was the Apprentice.

Reaching out a hand and poking hard at the wall, Balthazar said in what was clearly a stern, warning tone, " _Dave…_ "

"Balthazar, NO." Dave said again, and Balthazar sighed. As Dave began ranting, the sorcerer got to his knees and started to rubs his hands together, creating something that buzzed and lit the area with a faint, sparkling blue light.

Dave stood up, now pacing back and forth as he spilled out angrily, "I'm in charge for tonight! I want to have my dinner back, I want to lie in bed and I want to SLEEP a night through for once without you-"

The pain was sharp, sudden and icy-hot and Dave let out a startled shout and stumbled backwards in surprise, hitting a nearby table hard, his back aching from the impact. He panted and put a hand to his stomach automatically, eyes WIDE in fear. What the HECK had that been?! His thoughts were distracted however when he felt his stomach clench in pain as well as from a familiar pressure. Wincing, he burped… and a cloud of dark, thick smoke appeared from his mouth, hovering in front of his eyes, the taste thick in his mouth.

As it dissipated, Dave felt that hot sensation in his belly still and finally asked in a high-pitched panic, " **DID YOU SET ME ON _FIRE_?!** "

"No, I did not." came Balthazar's calm voice. "But I _CAN_."

Shaking at this newest threat, Dave stuttered out, "You're-You're b-bluffing!" When there was another bolt of pain from inside and another smoky burp, Dave complained as he hugged himself, "Ugh, that tastes AWFUL!"

"Circle." Balthazar snapped, his word punctuated by a sharp kick. "Now."

Dave didn't like the kicks… He had only felt soft rubs and shifts before, so these new violent movements startled and unnerved him. They weren't very friendly at ALL! He tried to resist, trying to assert himself, but an ESPECIALLY hard kick made him tense up painfully. " ** _OWW!_** " He pressed his hand to his stomach, snapping, "Stop that!" He then shouted as another bolt of pain went through him.

"Now." Balthazar insisted.

Dave gasped hard, bringing up more smoke from the latest internal attack. "I can ignore you!" he gasped out desperately. "I'll take a drink and ignore you!" He hugged his stomach, trying to squish Balthazar into not moving, but every time he tried, he would get another burst of pain for his troubles.

"Last chance." came Balthazar's calm voice.

"Same to you!" Dave snapped, though not nearly as calm.

Shrugging, Balthazar concentrated, the dark stomach given a golden glow as his ring glowed powerfully. He drew on some of Dave's magic and then produced the largest plasma bolt yet, aiming it right for the back wall of the stomach, right into the apprentice's spine. With a grunt, he released it, watching it SMACK hard into the back wall, the electricity then absorbing into the flesh to make it tingle and ache uncomfortably, but damage nothing.

The main impact of the plasma bolt had been Balthazar's goal. Dave's body received what felt like a solid punch to the gut and Balthazar covered his head and curled up as the world spun like crazy as Dave lost his balance and toppled over backwards, his shout hurting Balthazar's little ears. Balthazar was knocked around, but his landing was infinitely softer than Dave's was and he soon sat up, brushing off his arms of slime and liquid as best he could. He knew he was fully capable of drying out the stomach to make it very comfortable and keeping it that way the whole time he was here, but he still had some training to do with his stubborn, yet resourceful, apprentice.

Kneeling, he kneaded hard at the floor and wasn't surprised when Dave jumped in surprise, shouting right away, "All right, all right, I give, I give!"

Chuckling, Balthazar then kicked the floor, saying firmly, "Up."

The area shifted as Dave obeyed and Balthazar slid accordingly, still keeping himself upright. As Dave got upright, Balthazar felt the wall moving in on him as Dave rubbed at his belly, moaning, "Aw, jeez… Did you have to-"

"No talking." Balthazar snapped, kicking the floor.

"But I- _GAH!_ " As another tiny plasma bolt was discharged, he shouted and then went still and quiet.

"Circle." Balthazar said gently as he settled comfortably on the soft floor.

Hearing Dave grumbling around him, the apprentice did as told and Balthazar sighed in delight as he felt the additional warmth of the Circle inside of him, felt the extra magic, felt it sharpening his focus. Grinning, Balthazar moved his hand to the nearest wall and started to rub and push at it, but gently, not sharply like before. He explored the ripples with his fingers for a while, listening as Dave made small noises of appreciation. Apparently, the apprentice was worried that if he was too loud, he'd upset his Master and there would be further discomfort.

Dave kneeled in the Merlin's Circle, eyes shut as he enjoyed the sudden sensation of little rubs. Oh those felt wonderful… His stomach ached now from all the little plasma bolts Balthazar had performed inside but those little rubs helped to distract him from the pain. If he focused, he could even FEEL the tiny fingers as they explored his stomach, making Dave grin and duck his head. He wanted to let out the moan he was feeling building up, but if he did, he was worried Balthazar would stop.

His hands twitched as he kneeled there, longing to rub at his belly, to try and encourage Balthazar to greater motions, but again, he didn't want to upset his Master further! He honestly hadn't expected such a powerful retaliation from the tiny sorcerer! "Talk about biting off more than you can chew…" he muttered bitterly to himself.

As he felt the nice little rubs inside, Dave's head suddenly perked up. This whole time, it felt like Balthazar knew EXACTLY what he was doing. How on earth could he know? Unless…

Gulping nervously, Dave knew that this might risk his Master getting upset with him, but Dave then asked meekly, "Hey, Balthazar?"

The little man inside stopped moving and his voice carried the tone of a threat. "You want me to stop, Dave?"

"NO!" Dave barked instantly, hating the idea of having those wonderful little rubs stop. He then blushed darkly, murmuring, "No, I… I had a question." He then swallowed, saying pleadingly, "Just one question."

Balthazar was still for a time, but then started to rub again gently, saying, "All right."

Sighing as the rubs came back, soothing him and making him smile, Dave gingerly wrapped one arm around his thin middle as he asked, "Have you done this before? Going inside?"

"That's two questions, Dave." Balthazar retorted and Dave grimaced slightly.

"Consolidate them…" he said softly. "Please?"

There was a silence, but then Dave felt slightly harder rubs as Balthazar answered with a chuckle. "Yes. I have."

Though he had expected this answer, Dave was still surprised and he asked eagerly, "What? When?"

"No more questions." his Master snapped suddenly.

Dave frowned, wanting to know. "But-"

"I'll stop." Balthazar threatened and Dave found his mouth snapping shut. Balthazar chuckled and gave him a firm rub. "Good boy." Dave smiled a bit at feeling this. The firm rubs felt even better! As he gently hugged his middle and didn't get zapped for it, Dave blinked as he heard Balthazar speak. "You don't know everything about my past, Dave. I have done things you can only _dream_ about…"

Though sorely tempted to prompt Balthazar into telling him, Dave sighed and focused on the little sorcerer inside, letting his head hang and smiling faintly as he felt Balthazar rubbing at him, soothing the aches he had accumulated. Not entirely, but enough for his mind not to focus on them anymore.

After a horribly short ten minutes, Balthazar sat up, saying, "Okay, time to train."

Dave quickly bit back the groan he was going to expel and sat quietly, sighing a bit in disappointment. Idly, Dave now understood how Balthazar had felt whether the apprentice was lying down or sitting before. It was all about focusing on how the weight felt inside. When the little sorcerer had been lying down, Dave had felt a nice, soft pressure on the bottom of his stomach. When he was sitting up, it was a firmer pressure that seemed smaller and was easier to point out and notice.

After such a nice period of rubbing, the idea of training now when he was _still_ a bit sore was not a good plan to Dave and without thinking, he whined, "But, Baltha-" Dave froze as he sensed Balthazar preparing another plasma bolt. Thanks to the Circle, he was able to FEEL him charging it, feel him drawing the energy out and converting it into electricity and Dave straightened his back, snapping as he stared forwards, "Training. Yes, training. Training is a good idea."

"Good boy, Dave." his Master said softly.

As Dave remained in this stance, grimacing, he felt a prod from inside as Balthazar instructed him to clear his mind and to focus on him.

Sighing, Dave did as told, shutting his eyes and exhaling deeply. He could feel exactly how Balthazar was sitting, in a cross-legged position. It caused him to sink a little and the knees were poking at him a bit. He could feel Balthazar inside, right under his ribs and in the very core of his body. It made him shiver to think of it, knowing he had the man tucked away so securely. No one could possibly know he had his Master-

"Tucked away in your tummy?"

Dave's eyes shot open as he heard Balthazar speak to him and his cheeks blushed immediately. "No!" he snapped. "That's not what I meant to…" He blinked. It hadn't been what he meant to _say_ because he hadn't been **_SAYING_** anything! He stared down at his body in astonishment. "I thought you couldn't read minds!" he gasped out.

"I can't." He shivered as Balthazar rubbed the floor, saying, "Your emotions are feeding directly into me. I can read you like a BOOK." Dave's heart thumped a bit fast as Balthazar rubbed at him firmly, unable to stop himself from smiling. Then the tiny sorcerer said playfully, "You know, Dave, your tummy _sure_ is comfy. All soft and warm…"

Dave groaned, his cheeks darkening as he covered his face. "Oh, come on, Balthazar, _PLEASE_! Don't do this! Training! You said you want-"

But he was cut off as the little sorcerer rubbed at him playfully and he could almost FEEL the sorcerer wearing a Cheshire Cat smile as he was prodded at. "Don't you want a _tummy_ -rub, Dave? Hmm?" Balthazar then changed to a kneel and began to stroke at the soft flesh, making Dave shudder in pleasure as much as he tried to deny it, but that pleasure was instantly dampened when Balthazar grinned and called, "Want me to rub your _tummy_ from the inside?" intentionally emphasizing the word with playful shoves.

Dave tried to squash his hand into his stomach to silence the sorcerer, but he immediately withdrew with a yelp when he got a tiny plasma bolt shocking him. As Balthazar then continued to taunt him, Dave groaned again.

Oh, this was going to be a _LOOONNNG_ night…

 **FIN**

* * *

 _Had a lot of fun writing this particular bit. XD Hope you enjoyed!_


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